Video: Honey Boo Boo’s Uncle Poodle Talks About Being Bullied Growing Up For GLAAD’s Spirit Day

Lee “Uncle Poodle” Thompson is quickly becoming a powerful voice for gay rights and visibility. Just by being himself on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, he’s combatting stereotypes about both gay men and rednecks, and now, he’s made a heartfelt video about his difficult childhood for GLAAD’s Spirit Day.

In it, Thompson describes the intense kinds of abuse he suffered as a gay teen growing up in the south. Homophobic bullies routinely broke his ribs and dislocated his jaw(!) and he still has his car vandalized TO THIS DAY. It’s his supportive family, he says, that’s helped him through all of it, and he in turn supports his lesbian niece.

This video doesn’t quite have the “and now I’m a millionaire!” ending of the “It Gets Better” videos, but it’s also very necessary to talk about all the ways in which homophobia still exists. But more importantly, isn’t he great on camera and in general?? I think it’s time TLC gave him his own spin-off: Here Comes Uncle Poodle.